Problem: Simplify the following expression: $z = \dfrac{-7n - 4}{4n + 8} \div 3$
Solution: Dividing by a number is the same as multiplying by its inverse. $z = \dfrac{-7n - 4}{4n + 8} \times \dfrac{1}{3}$ When multiplying fractions, we multiply the numerators and the denominators. $z = \dfrac{(-7n - 4) \times 1} {(4n + 8) \times 3}$ $z = \dfrac{-7n - 4}{12n + 24}$